The final round of Moto3 provided plenty of action this weekend. For some riders, it was their final outing in the series. For others, they were hungry for a strong finish to give them momentum in 2026. The Leopard Racing team were unstoppable however, with riders David Almansa and Adrián Fernández the quickest pairing throughout the weekend. Both were hungry to take their first win, but it was Fernández who took the accolade.
Goodbyes Across The Grid
For many riders, Valencia marked the end of their Moto3 journey. Four riders advance to the intermediate class – Moto2 – in 2026. Champion José Antonio Rueda advances but stays with the Red Bull KTM Ajo team. Also advancing are Luca Lunetta, Ángel Piqueras, and Taiyo Furusato.
Whilst the above are leaving to progress their career, some riders have found themselves without a seat in 2026, and will say goodbye to Moto3 for now. Rookie Jacob Roulstone has faced a season marred by injuries and, unfortunately his contract was not renewed. Stefano Nepa, Riccardo Rossi, Tatchakorn Buasri, and Dennis Foggia face a similar situation and will not return next year.
In contrast, some on the grid will be saying goodbye to their current teams as they prepare to switch next year. Guido Pini and David Almansa are replacing each other, swapping between Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP and Leopard Racing. Joel Kelso also faces a new team in the upcoming season, leaving LevelUP MTA to join Gryd MLav Racing.
Leopard Racing Proves Pace in Practice and Qualifying
On Friday, Álvaro Carpe was fastest in Free Practice 1 with Joel Kelso close behind. But come Practice, David Almansa had found his stride. Setting a time of 1:37.333, Almansa was untouchable as he guaranteed a spot in Q2. His teammate, Adrián Fernández, was the runner-up of the session, however he was still 0.310 seconds adrift.
Rookie riders Jesús Rios and Adrián Cruces, who were replacing Riccardo Rossi and Noah Dettwiler, both showed promise in practice as they both finished in the top 14 and advanced to Q2. Ahead of qualifying on Saturday, the Leopard Racing team once again topped the times. Almansa finished the session first, with Fernández behind him in second.
With four places left in Q2, riders battled it out in Q1 to have the chance for pole position. Stefano Nepa and Brian Uriate comfortably made it into the second session. Two tenths behind the pair, Dennis Foggia and Hakim Danish took the final two spots. Scott Ogden narrowly missed advancing with a time hundredths of a second slower than Danish.
Q2 was slower than Q1, with only two riders facing the track in the first five minutes. Almansa set the time to beat and was looking as if he’d achieve the final pole of the season. However, his teammate had the edge over him. As the final laps were being set, Fernández achieved a new lap record – 1.36.990. This secured him pole position, and the Leopard Racing team took a 1-2 start for the race. Máximo Quiles took P3 on the grid. With Ángel Piqueras down in P10, Quiles was hoping to take silver in the Moto3 championship.
Fernández Takes His Maiden Win on Sunday
Ahead of the race, Rueda was on the grid backing his former teammate Álvaro Carpe. “I have a world champion by my side, so this is for me, good support.” Carpe joked during a pre-race interview.
As the green flag fell, Fernández didn’t have the best start, initially falling to fourth before taking the lead back by Turn 5. It wasn’t long before Almansa stole the lead from his teammate – however that didn’t last. Fernández made a brave move on the inside of Almansa, which pushed the #22 wide and forced him to fall back to P8.
Almansa didn’t let the mistake stop him however, and he started to push forward again. By Lap 7, Almansa was back to third and was waiting for the opportunity to overtake Quiles for second. Despite the recovery ride, Almansa didn’t have much luck this race. Taiyo Furusato replicated Fernández’s move at the start, sending Almansa wide once again. That time, Almansa was unable to recover and he finished P8.
Despite leading, Fernández was having to defend rather than push ahead. His saving grace? Positions being constantly swapped behind him which granted the leader some respite. As the race drew to a close, it was a five-way fight to win, with less than half a second separating the riders. Furusato was able to take second from Quiles and soon, the young rider also conceded positions to Carpe and Guido Pini. On the final lap, Carpe attempted to overtake Furusato, however the latter went wide to defend and keep position.
During the opening lap, Ogden crashed which caused a brief yellow flag. As Lap 4 came to a close, another yellow flag came out. This time for Joel Kelso who fell into Turn 14. Another yellow period was caused by Zen Mitani during Lap 14. Ogden and Mitani both retired whereas Kelso was able to return to the track and continue.
With tight battles throughout the race, Fernández remained calm and collected which secured him his maiden win, and Leopard Racing’s first win in 2025. Whilst Furusato crossed the line second, he received a post-race position penalty for exceeding track limits. This promoted Carpe to second and Furusato finished his final Moto3 race third. Despite finishing ahead, Quiles failed to gain enough points over Piqueras, and therefore didn’t take P2 in the championship.
The 2025 Moto3 season provided new winners, plenty of action, and a dominant champion. Now, the teams and riders get to take a well-deserved break and will come back in 2026 better than ever.